I bought a new bike! After months of research I finally pulled the trigger on the Trek Allant+ 8s, and the plan is to use it to commute to work and get around the city.

In college I didn’t own a car and hated driving (I still do). I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 18, and then I barely drove again for almost five years. I got everywhere on one of my two bikes, either my Specialized Sirrus Sport or, more often, my modified State Bike fixie.

Since graduating and moving to San Francisco, I have taken Muni to work and used the car on weekends for groceries and everything else. I kept my bikes, but they have mostly been collecting dust. I have only ridden in the city a handful of times, mostly because I was worried about safety and didn’t feel confident on the streets here. I rode all the time in Turlock, but the city feels very different and a lot busier than I am used to.

Every time I have changed companies or offices, the commute has gotten a little longer. Now my ride on Muni is about an hour on a good day, and two or three times a month a problem with the train pushes it closer to 90 minutes or more. That is an hour EACH WAY.

A conservative estimate for biking from the Outer Sunset to my office in SoMa is about 40 minutes, so even a regular bike would save me around 20 minutes each way. On an e-bike I should be a bit faster, which could add up to 40–50 minutes a day, or about 3.5 to 4 hours a week, that I would otherwise spend sitting on a train.

I have been looking at e-bikes for a while and have been watching the Allant+ since it was announced last year. There aren’t many reviews out yet, but the early owners seem happy with them. I have also rented a bunch of the Jump and Lyft e-bikes, and they are great for getting around and often faster than the train or bus. When Aubrey and I finally went to the Trek store to try one out, it was pretty magical. Riding it a few blocks around the store, I felt like a kid again.

I can hardly wait to be riding again. It is something I have really missed since moving to the city, and cycling used to be a big part of who I am. I would love to get that back. The Allant+ is still pretty new, so I had to special order it, and I should be able to pick it up from the store in the next week or two.

It is going to be a long couple of weeks…